myTax and Etax.com.au – How Do They Compare?

What is the difference between ATO myTax and Etax.com.au?

Etax.com.au is different to the Australian Taxation Office’s “myTax” system in many important ways:

• Etax.com.au is a true online tax agent service – you can do your secure tax return anytime, anywhere, even on mobile. There’s live support and Etax is your side, with degree-qualified accountants who check and review your return before it is lodged with the ATO.
• myTax is a government system – whereas Etax is an independent tax agent service that includes friendly support and advice.
• Using ATO myTax, you’re on your own. You add all of your private details and tax claims to the Federal Government’s myGov/myTax database – nobody helps you get a better refund and nobody helps you avoid trouble.
• Etax saves you time and provides useful information:
  • Deduction tips based on your occupation,
  • See last year’s items to help you remember what to claim*,
  • Improved auto-prefill (Etax checks ATO data to help ensure your return is trouble-free later on),
  • Less reading: Etax helps you choose the sections you need (and skip the parts you don’t need),
  • Tax refund calculator updates every time you add information to your tax return, plus
  • Help and support along the way, from qualified accountants who are on your side.
• Using myTax, you are on your own dealing with the Government’s taxation office about your tax issues. At Etax, our accountants will talk to the ATO for you and help resolve any issues.
• History: Etax Accountants launched Etax.com.au in August 1998 and we’ve been Australia’s favourite online tax agent ever since. Later, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) released their software named ATO e-tax, and in 2016 that was replaced by myTax.
• Etax includes checking and advice from one of the biggest tax agents in Australia… with affordable, tax-deductible fees.
• Etax support wants to improve YOUR refund and help you steer clear of ATO trouble. The goal of Etax accountants is to make your tax return trouble-free and, simply, awesome. Well-prepared tax returns mean fewer ATO delays with your tax refund. On the other hand, the actual goals of the ATO’s myTax project are not clear, but the ATO’s main job is to collect tax.

Do most people use myTax?

No. The ATO says 74% of tax returns are lodged with a tax agent rather than using myTax—for good reasons.

The Australian Taxation Office released statistics to the media:

Is myTax free? Well, sort of. The ATO spends millions of taxpayer dollars on myTax, and it appears like it’s aimed to make myTax more popular. Australians all pay for it, one way or another. Why does the Government do all of that? Remember, the ATO’s job is to collect tax revenue, not to maximise your tax refund.

The job of a tax agent like Etax is to help maximise your refund and help you avoid problems that can delay your refund or lead to strife for you with the ATO.

And tax agents’ fees are all tax-deductible. Click here to compare mytax, etax and other options.

Even Australia’s Inspector-General of Taxation, Ali Noroozi, recently said,

…frankly, I think every citizen is entitled to independent advice. They should not be getting all their advice from the tax office.”

Who do you trust to help get your taxes done right?

Some taxpayers believe that by going direct to the ATO they are saving money. Our experience is that people who lodge directly often miss important deductions and offsets that could save them money. The effect, over the years, could mean less money in your pocket.

Missed deductions can add up. Different reports have shown that, over time, people who self-prepare their taxes using ATO systems pay as much as $1000 more tax than those who use qualified accountants like Etax. More interesting numbers direct from the ATO:

• 38% of tax payers donated to charity and claimed the donation as a deduction.
• 65% of all tax payers claim some type of work related expenses.

Do you remember all of your deductions at tax time? Etax.com.au works hard to help you remember items you can claim and help you get the tax refund you deserve. Click here to see some of the ways Etax can make your tax return better.

A tax agent like Etax is working on YOUR side, to help find more items to claim, boost your refund and avoid ATO problems.

Etax is a registered tax agent practice and a member of Certified Practicing Accountants Australia (CPA Australia). All tax return reviews and support are handled by degree-qualified accountants employed inside Australia – different to many organisations (including the ATO), nothing at Etax is “out-sourced” to different companies.

All tax agent fees are tax deductible.

There has never been a better time to do your tax return at Etax.com.au. We look forward to working with you this tax season!

* Returning users can clearly see the items they claimed last year plus the details they entered last year. This saves so much time, people can finish in just a few minutes, with no appointments.

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